Impiltur
The ostensible authority of the Crown is currently vested in the Lords of Imphras II, but in practical terms they cannot deal with every item of legal and administrative business that crops up on a daily basis throughout the kingdom. Given this, it is the local Royal Heralds who handle all administrative and civil business, while the Royal Constables deal with all criminal and "security" issues. Heralds and Constables are found in all of the major cities and are appointed by the Crown. In more remote areas such as the Uplands, Royal Constables are found in the big fortress towns of Ithfell and Mal, but the Heralds have no permanent presence, using instead a system of roving Heralds who do a circuit of outlying areas along with at least six Royal Constables who have no permanent place of governance, but are used to trouble-shoot as required. There are no "duchies" or "baronies" as administrative or legal entities in the realm although there are indeed ducal and baronial holdings. The nobility of Impiltur wield no direct power, but their influence is enormous, and many senior nobles act as quasi-advisors to resident Constables and Heralds on an ad-hoc basis. There have been occasions, due to death, illness or simple geography, where nobles have been given temporary standing to govern and make decisions, but these situations are rare and have never turned into a lasting or long-term arrangement. There are members of the nobility who have been or are Royal Constables and Royal Heralds, but their loyalty is to the Crown first and their families second - those who get those priorities wrong seldom last long in the position. Both the Heralds and the Royal Constables located throughout Impiltur have a large staff of bureaucrats who do the heavy lifting regarding the day to day operations of the realm. Such support however becomes thin on the ground the further away you are from Lyrabar. The Royal Coinmaster (head tax collector) in Lyrabar for example, has some 50 staff reporting to him. The Royal Coinmaster at Tower Ithfell has a (harried) staff of about 4 individuals. Good help is hard to find. It should be made clear that the Royal Heralds of Impiltur are connected with the High Heralds of Faerun, but unlike in Cormyr wield direct power. In Cormyr they function more as aides and advisers to local rulers. In Impiltur they have Crown authority vested in them directly, but it should be noted that Royal Constables outrank the Royal Heralds and can reverse their decisions and/or overrule them. In practice though, such decisions are deferred to the Lords. Here are the individuals who govern in the name of the Crown in Impiltur (c. 1370 DR): Lyrabar Royal Constable: Brembar Wintersun Royal Herald: Korthaun Morthil Hlammach Royal Constable: Tiringar Felnim Royal Herald: Imdras Fairfollow Dilpur Royal Constable: Iolarth Greenbrook Royal Herald: Kellana Dintersan Sarshel Royal Constable: Nelra "the Fair" Silverstar Royal Herald: Faergaun Drell Ilmwatch Royal Constable: Imindarth Murn Royal Herald: Nordell Longstride, "Old Gruff" Tower Mal Royal Constable: Laerthal "Swiftdoom" Starsunder Tower Ithfell Royal Constable: Cordebrar Antarn Of the 'roving' Royal Constables, the most noteworthy are Wyaun "the Grim" Peldar (a man-mountain of stern countenance, biting wit and deadly with an axe), Taranthar Hawkblade and Elnarra Zelnass (a homely, pot-bellied red-head with iron self-control, inscrutable mien and ever-ready throwing daggers). Some notable travelling Royal Heralds are Embrathaun Deephorn (a short, energetic, 'down to business'-type), Milbraun Evenstarth, Heleggar Forgecrown (of noble stock, sarcastic, and a very accurate 'reader' of people), Theldrar "Runedagger" Scorchspear and Belthrar Swiftarrow. Located over a week’s ride southwest of Tower Ithfell, this cave network in the Earthspur Mountains is the last recognizable remnant of the great hobgoblin realm of Haekrukkha, which dominated the uplands of modern Impiltur in the time following the spread of the Great Glacier and the forced migration of many creatures and races southward. The hobgoblins of Haekrukkha were led by a great war-leader known as the Dargrath, or “Great Slayer” in their tongue, and he was supported by a powerful cabal of shamans who wove vile sorceries to bring power and might to the hobgoblin warrior caste of that realm. At least one scholar, Nartan of Candlekeep, believes that these dark rituals involved consuming the flesh and eggs of dragons, thereby infusing the subject with draconic powers and augmented physical attributes. Whatever the result of such practices, the hobgoblins often waged war against the dwarves of the surrounding mountains and the moon elves of the Gray Forest, known then as the realm of Larlotha. In time, the ferocity of the hobgoblin assaults brought these two races together in a rare alliance and the hobgoblins were crushed, the few survivors fleeing north and east to the Giantspire Mountains where they remain to this day, bitter at the memory of their defeat so long ago and eager for their ultimate revenge. Following the final battles that saw the demise of the realm of Haekrukkha, the Dargrath and his shaman supporters fled to the cavern network that bears his name, a cave-in of their own making sealing them off from the surface lands. No-one today knows of their fate but miners of Impiltur broke through into Dargrath’s Caverns several years ago whilst following rich seams of silver ore. They discovered ancient altars, weird pictographs and at least one intact skeleton hinting at illithid activity which prompted further exploration by such adventuring bands as the Knights of the Elder Flame and the all-woman, Loviatar-worshipping Spiked Sisterhood. Neither party of brave adventurers returned to the Lands of Light. What lies in the depths of Dargrath’s Caverns is still to be revealed, but sages speculate on the possibility that the Dargrath and his followers have lived on through the centuries, their longevity tied to evil rituals, or have been made into thralls by illithids who wait to unleash them on the unsuspecting lands above. In addition, here are some relevant historical timeline entries (some of which made it into GHotR): -10400 Dark elves of Clan Sethomiir travel by magic to the Riildath (Modern: Rawlinswood & Forest of Lethyr) from Ilythiir, guided by the hand of the balor Wendonai. They construct an underground fortress named Narathmault, “the Dark Pit”, at the site of present-day Dun Tharos, recognising it as a place of great evil. -10390 The hobgoblin tribes of the Riildath are enslaved by the dark elves of Narathmault and used to hunt down and slay or capture the nomadic humans who dwell in the woodlands. -10000 The dark elves of Narathmault are transformed into drow by the will of the Seldarine, shattering their bindings over a host of fiends who swiftly turn on their former masters. Led by Undrek of Clan Sethomiir, the drow and their minotaur servants are forced to flee Narathmault, travelling south and east into the underground caverns beneath the present-day Plateau of Thay. -9800 The Yuirwood is settled by small numbers of green elves fleeing the conflicts of the Crown Wars. -9750 The Riildath is settled by moon and gold elves of Shantel Othreier fleeing the persecution of the Vyshaan of Aryvandaar. -9740 The elves of the Riildath discover the horrors of Narathmault and resolve to clear the forest of all N`Tel`Quess (non-elves) so as to safeguard them from the foul legacies of Ilythiir. The elven realm of Lethyr is founded in the Riildath. -9735 The elves of Lethyr make war against the nomadic human and hobgoblin tribes of the Riildath. -9725 After a decade of clashes, the humans of the Riildath, led by their shaman chieftain Nar, are driven from the woodlands and settle lands far to the north. Over the centuries, these humans become known as the Nar for their legendary saviour. -9720 The hobgoblin tribes of the Riildath are defeated by the elves of Lethyr and flee into the surrounding mountains and northern plains. Their defeat sees the destruction by fire of the extreme western arm of the forest which becomes known as Caerthiilor or “the Blighted Plains” (Modern: uplands of Impiltur). -6850 The moon elves of the Yuirwood travel to the forest of Saerdath (Modern: Gray Forest), and establish the realm of Larlotha. -2475 The Great Glacier continues to grow, expanding south to cover the lands that will eventually be known as Vaasa and Damara. -2465 The elves of Lethyr use High Magic to stop the spread of the Great Glacier southward and preserve their forest lands. -2460 The Nar human tribes and the hobgoblins of the northern mountains and tundra, pushed south by the expansion of the Great Glacier, come into conflict with each other and the elves of Lethyr. -2457 The Nar defeat the hobgoblin hordes in battle and force them west and south into the uninhabited lands of Caerthiilor where the hobgoblins establish the realm of Haekrukkha. The Nar humans settle the plains on the northern fringes of the Riildath. c. -2440 The hobgoblins of Haekrukkha raid the forests of Larlotha for the first time, beginning over a century of skirmishes, attacks and invasions between the two realms. -2287 In response to forest fires lit by the hobgoblins of Haekrukkha, the elves of Larlotha begin their final, genocidal war against the humanoids. -2284 The dwarves of the Earthfast Mountains ally with the moon elves of Larlotha against the hobgoblins. -2281 The hobgoblins of Haekrukkha are defeated and their realm is shattered by the combined forces of the dwarves and moon elves. The elves of Larlotha, led by their warrior-queen Eldratha, suffer grievously in the final battles losing almost a whole generation of young elves in the fighting. The few surviving hobgoblins flee to the sanctuary of the Giantspire Mountains. -1335 The moon elves of Larlotha begin a Retreat to Cormanthyr with the marriage of their ruler and queen Ildranna “Starflowers” to Coronal Miirphys of that realm. Within fifty winters only small pockets of elves reside within the Gray Forest. They built no great cities or any structures of note. The present-day (c. 1370 DR that is) Fortress of Mal is thought to have been built on what was a Haekrukkha "holy place" (pilgrimage spot, burial ground etc) and there are more than the single "Dargrath's Caverns"-type places in the Earthspurs where evidence of their civilization might be found. There is however one unique geographical feature of the Uplands that had significance for the hobgoblins of Haekrukkha, and that is the area they called Margrolkh, known today as Melarthaun's Sinkhole (for the sage and explorer Melarthaun of Sarshel, dead as of 1327 DR). Known throughout Impiltur's history by many different names, Melarthaun's Sinkhole is located on the shores of the River Icehilt, north and slightly east of Vordic Dun. This natural feature is a huge (800 feet in diameter at the rim narrowing to 400 feet), deep pit (some 1000 feet in depth) with a unique isolated forest at the bottom. A religious site for the hobgoblins it was used by them to deposit precious items in tribute to Maglubiyet and living sacrifices. Melarthaun is known to have plumbed its depths briefly and talks of an immense fungal forest filled with poisonous fungi not found anywhere else in the region and slimes and oozes in abundance. He did discover and bring out of the sinkhole a small, crude, golden statuette of Maglubiyet but found nothing else of note before the environmental factors forced him to flee. Since his initial foray, a few intrepid individuals have tried to explore Melarthaun's Sinkhole, including the adventuring bands known as the Company of the Azure Pegasus and the dwarvish adventuring brotherhood known as the Grim Axes of Dorn, but they have all disappeared and not been heard of since. The goblinoids have long had a presence in current day Vaasa, Damara and Narfell as well as points north before there was a Great Glacier. I've postulated that they were slaves of the giants and the dragons (more the former than the latter) but that the hobgoblins in particular were more closely tied to the dragons (who experimented on goblins magically, bred them into stronger and stronger strains and in my Realms, gave us what we now know as the hobgoblin race). The giants kept goblins for food and mass labour, using bugbears as overseers and arrow-fodder troops. After the time of the dragons and the age of giants, the hobgoblins did indeed share the plains north of the Auldgloam Forest with the Nar humans following their eviction by the elves of Lethyr. There were no permanent settlements for either group, but the humans controlled most of the plains and the hobgoblins stayed in the hills/mountains and raided constantly. It should be noted that orcs have never been a feature of the lands of the Unapproachable East. They arrived during the Orcgate Wars and are the gray orcs featured in "Races of Faerun" (p.65). When their invasion was shattered, the majority of the survivors fled to the surrounding mountains, east and north. The orcs who fled north moved into the forests of Lethyr and were slain in droves, but greatly weakened the elves also, leading to their inability to resist human encroachment by -1020 DR. The orcs kept going north and west into the Earthspurs and Earthfast Mountains where they first encountered the dwarves of Earthfast. The orcs were then shoved north again into the Galenas and Vaasa where over three centuries they gathered in sufficient numbers to move west and south and form Vastar and spread into the Moonsea and Tortured Lands. The hobgoblins of Haekrukkha went mostly into the Giantspires (they had established a series of fortresses there as 'last redoubt' type refuges) but smaller tribes did remain in the Earthspurs and Galenas as well as moving into the bogs of Vaasa. Basically, they fled into marginal areas of the region, free from significant dwarven and elven influence. The Dargrath and his shaman cabal did not go with them because something (or someone) caused them to head into the Earthspurs. Many sages consider that it was illithid coercion and control and that the present-day settlement of Brikklext has some sort of connection also. Gharosh was the son Soneillon bore when consort to Agrosh "the Scaled", sole king of the Tarrik Dynasty of Impiltur. Born in 728 DR, he was only a year old when paladins of the Triad Crusade slew his father. Soneillon is thought to have sent him to the Citadel of Conjurers in the care of the trusted Tarrik retainer Norras "the Spiked" when it was clear that the Fiend Wars were to end in bloody defeat for the demons residing in Impiltur. No further word of Gharosh is recorded and it is unknown if he ever actually was taken to the Citadel, as the Tarriks are known to have kept many secret subterranean holds in the Earthfasts. Gharosh was described as being of normal size for a human infant, his skin of golden hue with patches of thick black hair on his head and along his forearms and spine. He had six-fingered hands and jet black eyes. His mother is known to have magically implanted in him a special ward token accessing areas of the Citadel of Conjurers, as well as some sort of magic token that enhanced his resistance to magic. He could converse telephathically almost from when he left her womb. While his fate is unknown, his demonic blood may see him live yet and whether he remains a servant of his mother or seeks to destroy her for his abandonment as an infant is a matter of conjecture. During her time in Chondath, Soneillon is known to have given birth to twin, half-fiend girls fathered by the archmage Whinonas Ferentier. Born in 857 DR, the twins were named Arasha and Thaeril and grew swiftly to adulthood. They were described by the mercenary general Olmorn of Arrabar as "stunningly beautiful, wilful, petulant and smelling of ashes and death". Taught by their father, both grew skilful in the Art, able to use several spells of the Enchantment school seemingly at will. With the advent of the Rotting War, Arasha is thought to have attempted to plumb the depths of her infernal heritage, seeking to summon aid from the might demon prince Graz'zt. His price is thought to have been her submission to him as consort, and it is likely that she now lives in the Abyss in one of Graz'zt's many pleasure palaces. Thaeril's fate was altogether different. Seduced by the power inherent in the Netherese magic trove her father discovered, harnessed and unleashed to conquer all of Chondath, Thaeril is thought to have fallen afoul of a spelltrap item akin to a mirror of life trapping (but with the ability to use the trapped individual's magical ability by the wielder of that item) known as Mordanon's Scepter for the archwizard who crafted three such items millenia ago on the shores of the Narrow Sea. The unscrupulous Whinonas is thought to have used the scepter himself to enhance his magical ability (and may in fact have intentionally caused Thaeril to be trapped by the item in question), but with his death, the whereabouts of the scepter are lost. Thaeril likely lives on as a sentient creature trapped in this magic item and is probably quite insane, but still possessed of magical knowledge that could destroy kingdoms if a means to release her could be discovered. Soneillon's only other known child was born in 1358 DR during the Time of Troubles. The child's father was a hobgoblin warleader of the Giantspire tribes and the child is known as Vhost, or "death" in the hobgoblin tongue. Huge, muscled and betraying little of his fiendish heritage, Vhost is Soneillon's envoy to the tribes and speaks with her voice as well as being her bodyguard and manservant. He speaks seldom, is rumoured to have some spell-like abilities and can spit a virulent poison that damages on contact. It is not known what role Soneillon plans for Vhost, but it is thought that when the hobgoblin tide of the Giantspires surges forth, it is not only the lands of Impiltur that will come under threat. In the Dawn Ages, called by by some sages the Time of Dragons, the lands of modern-day Aglarond, Thesk, Ashanath, the Great Dale, Narfell and Impiltur were covered by a huge, nameless forest, of which the Yuirwood, the Forest of Lethyr and the Rawlinswood are the only surviving remnants. Primitive human tribes roamed this great forest, safe on the whole from the attention of the great dragons and later the giants who ruled. Of these tribes, history has provided us with only a single name - the Yuir - and much of what we know about them comes from the unique means by which the Yuir, their history and some of their gods were subsumed into the historical record of the elves. This grouping of human tribes, whom sages refer to as the Arthraen (from a bastardization of an elvish term for "forest hunters") had lived in the forests for millennia, eking out an existence whilst striving to avoid the predations of first the sarrukh of Okoth - who had a presence on what is now known as the Thaymount, which may have been a stronghold of the Ba'etith - and then the dragons and the giants who would raid the forests for food and slaves. Elven history and the unique interactions between the elves who first came to the modern-day Yuirwood and the indigenous human population there, preserved some of the gods of the Arthraen. Those gods were Magnar, Relkath, Zandilar, Elikarashae and the Simbul. There were at least five others worshipped by the Yuir and assumedly by the the other humans of the forest lands. Their names and their areas of deific influence are lost to history. Sages and loremasters postulate that the known gods of the Arthraen had the following rough 'portfolios': Relkath - nature Magnar - war and strength Zandilar - love and passion Elikarashae - hunting and survival Simbul - fate It is thought that the Arthraen had gods for the sky/weather, hearth/home and tribal/familial life, and evil/darkness, but this is just postulation on the part of sages. The last cohesive remnant of the humans known as the Arthraen were the ancient Nar. They turned away from the worship of their ancient gods and fell to venerating the dark powers of the Abyss. This occurred following their exposure to the horrors of Narathmault, the Dark Pit, known to modern historians as Dun Tharos. With the advent of their demon worship, all record of the ancient gods of the Arthraen was erased, save for what had been preserved in the Yuirwood. The hobgoblins of the modern-day Grey Forest were remnants of the horde that assaulted the lands of Impiltur in 1095 DR. Located there and in areas of the nearby Earthfast Mountains, their small numbers and relative isolation saw them slide slowly into a more barbaric existence than most hobgoblin communities, typified by the name they adopted for themselves, which was the "Naerk" or "lost" in their tongue. This slide was compounded by a loss of their shamanic traditions and more lip service than significant worship of Malglubiyet. The major cities of Impiltur along the Easting Coast all have the equivalent of a town watch or local constabulary. Lyrabar has the biggest (about 1000) while Dilpur has the smallest (about 300). All of these cities also have Warsword barracks on the outskirts that can call on up to 4 'warpoints' of the Warswords (a 'warpoint' is a force of 250 warblades, 5 warswords, and an alorn leader. Four warpoints make a 'warspear', which is led by a Highsword - see "Power of Faerun", p.29). This should be contrasted with the term 'swordpoint', which is used for a hired blade working for the Impiltur military. Impiltur doesn't have a huge standing army and has always been reliant on mercenaries to make up numbers in a crisis. I have read "The Crimson Gold" and it doesn't feature the sword Hadryllis. Tazi Uskreven kills a human 'host' for the demonlord Eltab and he is once again vanquished (without the destruction of the Adamantine Binding, he can't be truly banished from Faerun - he justs gets sent to a demoncyst, thereby trapping him again as per the write up in "Champions of Ruin"). Hadryllis has its own write-up in the "Champions of Valor" sourcebook (p.65) for which you can thank Eric Boyd. He noted its presence in the adventure contained in the "Spellbound" boxed set but didn't come up with anything definitive on its current whereabouts. This was left up in the air on purpose for DMs to use the item in their own campaigns however they wished. So how do I feel about Hadryllis' recent bout with Eltab? Just as fine as I did the first time I read the "Spellbound" boxed set. Category:Locations in Northeast Faerûn Category:Monarchies